Politics

UK general election: Sinn Féin aiming to maximise ‘progressive’ MPs in Northern Ireland

Party standing aside for SDLP and Alliance in seats where they face tight races with unionists

Michelle O'Neill said she hoped to build a good relationship with Labour, who are expected to win the Westminster election. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Sun Jun 30 2024 - 11:30

Sinn Féin wants to maximise the number of “progressive” MPs returned from Northern Ireland in this year’s UK general election, vice-president Michelle O’Neill has said.

The party is running 14 candidates, standing aside in East Belfast, North Down and Lagan Valley where the Alliance Party is challenging unionists, as well as South Belfast where the SDLP is hoping to return to the green benches on July 4th.

Ms O’Neill said it had not been an easy decision to stand aside in the four constituencies but said the party wants to see a “rejection” of those who had “propped up” the last Conservative government.

It comes after the DUP maintained a close relationship with the Conservatives, including taking part in a confidence and supply deal in 2017 following the return of a hung parliament.

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“We want this election to return the maximum number of progressive candidates,” Ms O’Neill said.

“The maximum number of MPs that want to make politics work here at home, the maximum number of MPs that reject Tory austerity and the cuts that have decimated our public services for the past 14 years, and also to reject those people that actually propped up the Tories throughout that tenure, so that we set aside in those constituencies to actually make space for that progressive candidate to come through.”

Sinn Féin won seven seats at the last general election in 2019.

This year, Ms O’Neill said the party is hoping to maintain the seven and potentially build its vote.

The party is targeting gains including attempting to win Foyle over SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

[ UK general election: Foyle is prized SDLP seat Sinn Féin would love to take ]

This general election comes after a disappointing showing for Sinn Féin in the Republic of Ireland where it was widely seen as the government in waiting, but suffered a major setback when its support in the European and local elections dropped well below what was projected.

Ms O’Neill said she does not expect any repeat of that disappointment North of the Border.

“Obviously, we didn’t realise our full ambition in the South but we did make some gains,” Ms O’Neill said.

“We’ve work to do there, and we’ll do that, and we’ll regroup and be back in time to fight the next contest in the South but I don’t think it’s having any sort of link into here.”

In terms of the next government in London, Ms O’Neill said Sinn Féin would hope to build a good relationship with Labour if it wins the election.

“I know from the Labour manifesto that they talk about public services and the need to improve public services here so that’s something that clearly [we] would want to work with Labour on,” she said.

“Also, we need to advance the conversation around how we’re funded, how our public services are funded, and we’ve made some progress there, but I think we’ve more to do so that would be the day one conversation for Labour.

“We would expect that we would want to build a better relationship with Labour, for the good of all the people that live here.” – PA

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